Automobile drive mechanism.



APPLICATiON FILED NOV 23.19l4

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AUTOMOBILE DRIVE MECHANISIVI.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. 1914. IBIIEEJOQQL Patented N0v.6,1917.

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1UNITED sTATEsraTENfr onirica,

HENRY J. 'seni/110K, or" Loox "Haven, PnivivsYLvenia.v4

AUTOMOBILE DRIVEMEGHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

Application led November 25, 1914. Serial No. 873,929.

To all fwwm t may concern:

yBe it known that I, HENRY J. SCHMICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lock Haven, in the county of Clinton and .State of Pennsylvania, have invented cerltain new and useful Improvements in .Automobile Drive Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and Yexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled-iii the art to which The'invention relates to improvements in power transmission mechanisms, and more Vparticularly to that type of such mechation, 11o a driven axle, or axles, revolved in a -direction atA right angles to the engine shaft without reducing the speed of the driven axle, and -the invention consists of certain im.

provements in, and more specific application of, the radio-helical cam for which Let.

ters Patent of the United States were granted me on the 28th day of May, 1901, numbered 675,020, and on the 22nd day of March, 1904, numbered 755,051, such improvements to be hereinafter more fully described, set

forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

For the purposes of distinguishingthe Vconstruction of the cam-members arranged `on-the cam-plate, it has been designated as radio-helical, since the helix usually vacts co-axially, while, in the present instance,fthe Y helix defined bytlie motion of the cycloidal curve formation o f the cam-members acts-ra-` dially or trans-axially, Vor at right angles to the axis of the cam-plate, and in this construction the cam-members on the cam-plate are approximately the .thickness of` the spaces between the .teeth ofthe gear driven by the cam-plate and itscam-members'and. their lnf'orking surfacesare of varying an- :fgularity to, produce Vcontinuous ,'leveragef on" the'teeth y'of thegear'driven thereby.

IIn the drawingsl Figure l is a `perspective view jof the'preferredembodiment o f the invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalfsection showing the angular relation of the camplate and its cam-members to the gear, and, also, the method of accomplishing the inverse angularity of thev several cam-members and the relation of their working surfaces to the lco-actingteeth of the 'driven Seal? Fig. 3 is van exaggerated plan view -show- Ving thegeneration of the several caminem bers on a curve of cycloidal formation,

Fig. 1- is a diagramma-tical plan view-illustrating the method ofthe development of the inverseangularityof the cam-members on a curvejof cycloidal formation. y A

Fig. isadetail view of a portionY of the gear toillustratefthe shape of the teeth.

Referring to the drawing, in lwhich like characters of reference indicate similar parts -on the several views,'1 designates apower or engine shaft-'which is integrally, or otherwise, connected at one end to a cam-plate 2 having its outer face provided with caniniembers (the number of such cam-inembers may, however, b e-otherthan vthe. pair shown), formed on a curve of cycloidal .'formation,- and whose pitch remains in constant lfixed Y angularityvof ninety degrees y(90") with respect Vto thepath of travel of the edge of a gear 4, whilev the working surfaces of each cam-member-YS vary inversely throughout their lineal curve withfrespect to the body of the cam-plate 2 tov maintain constant right-angular relation to thefpath of peripheral movement ofthe gear 4, when the latter isl rotated. v

Suchv fact or condition, above stated, exists byreason ofthe maintenance of absolute 'kright-angularity between the cam-members 3 and the co-acting teeth 5 ofthe gear 4, or,

`in other words,lsuch rightangular relation is rendered absolute by reason of theangular relationof the several cam-members 3 to the face of the cam-plate 2' varying inversely throughoutV their lineal, curve, and, also, ibeycauser-ofthe axis of the gear teeth lbeing of absolute right-angularity -withrespect to the peripheral movement of the gear 4 and therefore, at right angles to the contours of the cam-members.

Each cam 3, at its root or inner end is beveled at 20, to readily engage the teeth of the gear wheel. The inner wall 2l of each cam acutely inclines, as at 22, the inclination gradually diminishing toward the outer end of the cam, and eventually merges into a straight wall 23, which is at right angle to the face of the cam plate 3. The outer wall 2a, of each cam at the root is straight, or at right angle to the cani plate 2, as indicated at 24, (see Fig. 2) and it inclines gradually toward the outer end, where the inclination is the greatest as shown at 25. rlhis specific construction serves to accomplish a most important function in the operation of my improvement as will presently appear.

The teeth of the gear wheel are constructed to coact with the cams, as it is essential that absolute intermeshing of the cam and teeth take place to accomplish the necessary result attributed to my improved construction.

Each tooth 5 is radial, and its opposite sides 5fL are similar and are parallel. One inner surface 5b of each tooth is concave, while the opposite surface 5c is convex. Lines drawn through the corners 5d of the teeth would be parallel with the axis of the gear wheel, hence when the cam and gear are in mesh, the convex and concave surfaces of the teeth snugly engage the side walls of the cams, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

To eHect this registration, it is essential that one face of the gear wheel be in alinement with the axis of the cam shaft as shown in Fig. 3. It is obvious from an inspection of F ig. 3 that in any position of the cams the teeth engaging same will be snugly confined and that the force of the cam on the teeth will be at right angle to the axis of the cam plate. This action prevents lateral strain on the shaft and reduces the friction to such extent that a decided increase in eiliciency is obtained.

The gear i is provided with spokes (i radieting from a hub 7 which is formed at its opposite ends with the concentric bearing flange 8, which construction adapts the gear et for use, more particularly, in connection with a bevel-gear type of differential mechanism, as illustrated, and which mechanism consists of the bevel gear 9, two of such bevel gears being used, however, one for each section of a usual two-part drive axle, and which bevel gears are adapted to mesh with the bevel gears 10 carried by the studs il formed with the gear l and projecting `inwardly from the inner periphery of the latter. These gears 9 are provided with bearing recesses (not shown) for the reception of the bearing flanges 8 of the hub 7, aforementioned.

It is to be noted that one face of the gear 4 is directly opposite the transverse center of the cam-plate 2 and to effect constant engagement of the working surfaces of the radio-helical cani-members 3 with the coacting teeth 5 of the gear, the working surfaces Of the same are made to vary inversely throughout their curved lineal relation to the cam-plate 2 to prevent binding of the next tooth thereon as the same revolves, the constant leverage of the cam-members being effected by the constant varying angle of such working surfaces of the cam-members, but which angular-ity remains in absolute right angular relation to the path of peripheral travel of the gear at all times.

It is understood that, without departing from the spirit of the invention, the radio-helical cam-members 3 on the camplate 2 may be varied in number and pitch, from that shown, according to the power and speed required, a reduction in pitch, producing` a corresponding reduction in speed, and an increase in the pitch the opposite effect. This variation in number and pitch of the cam-members necessitates a corresponding variation in the number and pitch of the teeth on the gear.

Havingy thus fully described my invention, what l claim is l. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination of a drive shaft, a cam plate at the end of the drive shaft, and provided on one face with a cam, driven elements including a gear wheel, the gear wheel being disposed at right angle to the cam plate, one surface of the gear being substantially in alinement with the axis of said cam plate, the gear having teeth formed to snugly engage the side walls of the cam when in meshing relation.

2. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination of a drive shaft, a cam plate at the end of the drive shaft, and provided on one face with a cam, the inner wall of the cam being inclined near its inner end and gradually merging into a straight position near its outer end, the outer wall of the cam being straight near its inner end and gradually inclining toward the outer end, a gear wheel disposed at right angle to the cam plate, one face of said gear wheel being in alinement with the axis of the cam plate, the teeth of the gear wheel having opposite parallel radial sides and one connecting surface convex and the opposite surface concave, the convex and concave surfaces correspending to the curvature of the cam when in meshing relation, the gradually inclined walls of the cam compensating for the angular positions assumed by the, teeth in the revolution of the gear Wheel,

3. In power transmitting mechanism, the gage the side walls of the cams when in 10 combination of a drive shaft, a cam plate meshing relation. at the end of the drive shaft and provided In testimony whereof I aliX my signature, on one face with two cams spaced apart and in presence of two witnesses. overlapping, a gear wheel disposed at right angle to the cam plate, one surface of the HENRY J SCHMICK gear wheel being substantially in alinement Witnesses:

with the axis of said @am plate, the gear D. C. REINOHL,

wheel having teeth formed to snugly en- W. PARKER REINOHI..

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

